


Being Mr. Moss

by LizaCameron



Series: King Corn [3]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-04-05
Updated: 2005-04-05
Packaged: 2019-05-30 13:42:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15097826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizaCameron/pseuds/LizaCameron
Summary: A Sequel toA Chivalrous Outlaw.  Josh and Donna have even MORE fun on the campaign trail.





	1. Being Mr. Moss

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Being Mr. Moss**

**by:** Liza C.

**Character(s):** Josh, Donna  
**Pairing(s):** Josh/Donna  
**Category(s):** Romance  
**Rating:** MATURE  
**Disclaimer:** This is just some not-for-profit fun done out of love and respect for the characters.  
**Summary:** A Sequel to "A Chivalrous Outlaw". Josh and Donna have even MORE fun on the campaign trail.   
**Spoiler:** King Corn  
**Author's Note:** Beta'ed By Kim 

As soon as Josh exited the pool area, he stopped, leaned back against the wall and softly, yet determinedly, banged the back of his head against it… repeatedly.  How was it possible that what had almost just happened… hadn't happened?  He'd been so close to kissing her.  So freaking close.  And he couldn't remember ever in his life desiring something so much. They had come so far in the space of one night.  They'd played, they'd laughed, they'd had fun and then… they'd been interrupted right before they'd almost gotten to the really good stuff.  

Was this a capital punishment state?  He had no idea… mostly because at the moment he couldn’t remember what state he was in.  Best he didn't know, because if it wasn't, he might be tempted to go kill Will Bailey and his merry band of fun-interrupters.  Damn them!  

Josh pushed himself off the wall and stood in the hall, his hands resting rebelliously on his hips.  He didn't want to leave. He didn't want the night to end.  However, he had no way to prolong it and nowhere to go. Donna was in some hot tub meeting that Will would probably make sure lasted hours, and he was wearing sopping wet underwear that were becoming supremely irritating.  Grudgingly, he started making his way down the hall. He had to go back to his own hotel and call it a night. 

The upside was that they'd both be in town for the next couple of days; maybe tomorrow night they could pick up where they left off tonight.  In the meantime, he'd do something grand, something romantic… a gesture to let her know he was thinking about her.  He briefly considered skywriting.  After a few seconds of deliberation he dismissed the notion as a tad over the top; apparently wet britches and almost kissing Donna could indeed do strange things to his brain. 

Instead he thought back to a different time and a different place and it occurred to him that flowers might do the trick.  So he settled on good old, boring, yet tried and true, flowers.  That seemed appropriate for an almost-kiss, didn't it?  If he sent her flowers, then hopefully she would get the message that the next time they met up, as far as he was concerned, there would be no almost about the kiss.

***

Donna fidgeted in the elevator.  Under her sweats, the spandex of her wet, one-piece swimming suit was clinging to her stomach and was now quite cold and quite uncomfortable.  She was made no more comfortable by the truth that she and Josh had been very close to changing their relationship for good before they were unceremoniously interrupted.  

Even though his lips had barely brushed across hers in the briefest of moments, she could still feel their warm caress and the way it had made her tingle all the way down to her toes.  Yup, the almost-kiss was still fresh in her mind and foremost in her thoughts.  And probably would be all night long and well into tomorrow.  

That buildup of unreleased passion accounted for some of her discomfort, but she was also feeling unnerved about Will.  The look he'd given her once Josh had left the pool area had been hard and not a little probing.  While he didn't verbalize it, Donna was perceptive enough to realize that he wasn't thrilled to find Donna cavorting with the campaign manager of another campaign in the hot tub of a Holidome hotel.

And the result had been that Donna had been reassigned.  She wasn't actually sure why it had happened, perhaps it really was just a coincidence, but Will had decided that she would be best utilized on a site survey of the southern part of the state instead of with the main campaign.  She would leave tomorrow around 8am and with her departure went any opportunity to see Josh for probably the next week, possibly even longer.

There was just no telling when their campaign paths would next cross.  The frustration was enough to make her want to scream at the top of her lungs.  But she refrained, not wanting to disturb the other denizens of the Holidome that had already called it a night.  Maybe they could set up a special meeting somewhere? But that would mean making actual plans for a specific purpose, and she wasn't sure they were at that stage yet.  Had what just almost happened been a fluke of circumstance?  Hot water and near-nudity combined to make them behave in ways they would have otherwise regretted?  Boy, did she wish she'd done something worthy of regret.  However, she knew she wouldn’t have regretted anything, and she hoped that the same was true for Josh.

Thankfully, the impromptu Russell meeting in and around the hot tub had come to a swift conclusion not long after it began.  By some accident of good fortune, one of the hotel employees had happened upon the after-hours gathering and asked that they obey the posted hours for the pool and scat.  She had actually used the word 'scat.'  Donna could have kissed the woman.  And apparently the woman had sensed this because she'd winked at Donna.  So either she'd intuited Donna's relief, or the woman played for the other team and Donna's contemplated gesture-of-gratitude kiss wouldn't have been entirely unwelcome.   

Either way, Donna didn't care. She was just grateful for the reprieve from spending any more time with her campaign cohorts.  Knowing that she was headed back to the shelter of her own room, she sighed with relief.  Maybe she'd call Josh when she got there.  Knowing him like she did, she knew that he'd still be up, probably for several hours yet.  

Finding the entrance to her room in the middle of the endless hall of matching doors, she flipped her keycard into the slot, only to have it rejected by a quiet buzz and a red light.  A small smile spread across her face as she was immediately reminded of Josh.  Yeah, she would definitely call him.  She needed to tell him that she was leaving tomorrow, anyway.  The second time she tried her key card, the light switched to green and she heard the inviting click.  As she opened the door, her heart hit her chest as panic overwhelmed her.  She screamed bloody murder.

***

Admittedly, Donna was startled easily.  As a young teen she had been absolutely traumatized by movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th.  She couldn't sit through them without jumping out of her skin.  So in this instance, it wasn't really surprising that it took several seconds for her to catch her breath and shake the scare.  Still standing in her open hotel room door with her hand pressed flat against her chest, she screeched, "What are you doing?"

"I was coming to let you in.  I heard you fiddle with the door."  His eyebrows were raised halfway up his forehead and his eyes were wide and had competing glints of concern and guilt in them.

"Yes, I got that by the way you were standing full in my door when I opened it!  But why?  Why are you able to come let me in the door?  The door of my own private hotel room?  A room which nobody has a key to, but me?"

"To surprise you?"  Uncertainty rang clear in his voice.

"I was surprised…"  She nodded slowly.  

"Anything wrong?"  Startled once again, Donna looked to her right only to see her next door neighbor, a man who looked to be in his late 50's and wearing only a wife beater and boxers, poking his head out of his door.  

Donna flashed him her most contrite smile. "Sorry to disturb you, thought I saw a mouse. I was mistaken."  He grunted and closed his door.

Quickly she stepped into her own room and shut the door behind her, lest any of her other neighbors became suddenly curious.

"I thought you liked surprises?   Although, it appears I overachieved, once again, since you screamed like I was wearing a mask from… well… Scream.  Am I that scary looking?"  The uncertainty from a moment earlier was gone and replaced by an easy confidence.

"Don't say Scream, you know what scary movies do to me."   

Finally letting her eyes roam over him, she realized something was missing and, despite the cold wet swimsuit that still clung to her skin, felt a familiar flush of desire heat her throughout.  Still a little breathless-- whether from the fright or from something else altogether-- she charged, "And you're not scary looking – you're naked looking.  Why are you naked in my hotel room?" 

"I'm not naked."  He rested his hands on his hips with aplomb. 

"I'm afraid you are."

"Afraid… are you afraid of my nakedness?"  As he cocked an eyebrow at her, she felt herself flutter in remote, but delightful, regions of her body.

"No… I … uh…" She stuttered and then what he'd said registered and her eyes shot up to meet his gaze. "A-ha!" 

"A-ha what?"  He furrowed his brow inquisitively at her.

"A-ha you just said 'your nakedness.'  You admitted you're naked!"  She exclaimed triumphantly as if she'd just been proven right on a disputed Trivial Pursuit question.

"That isn't sufficient proof that I'm naked, especially when there is visual evidence that I'm not naked."

"All you're wearing is a towel…"  

"Yes." He nodded once, a slight flush of his cheeks the only indication that he wasn't quite as comfortable and confident as he was acting.  "A towel.  A towel is not naked."

A broad smile worked itself all the way across Donna's face.  "Are you naked under the towel?"  She glanced down at the fluffy white piece of cloth that circled his waist and felt her breath catch as her eyes lingered on the smooth lines of his stomach.  She flashed back to the hot tub, to when her hands had freely roamed almost anywhere they pleased; the memory caused her to tremble slightly.  As her gaze continued to drift downward, what she saw next almost caused her to come apart. She stared at the indentation of his hip flexor right above the hem of the towel; she'd never had such a strong desire to run her tongue down anything in her entire life.  Would he protest if she just did it?

"Donna… Donna, earth to Donna…"

Her eyes snapped back up to his, where she was greeted by a bemused expression.  Immediately flushing red, she swallowed hard and fought to regain her composure.

He must know exactly where she was looking and exactly what she was thinking.  

"How…"  Her voice was froggy, so she cleared it quickly before attempting to continue in a composed and business-like manner.   "How did you get into my room so that you could be standing here naked, save for a towel."

"The gal at the front desk gave me a key," he stated matter-of-factly.

It took a second for that to register, before Donna fairly shrieked, "What!?"

"She gave me a key."  He wandered over to the dresser and picked up the key card.  Pleased with himself, he handed it to her. "See."

"Why… why would she do that?"  She demanded incredulously as she grabbed the key from him and examined it.

His face clouded slightly. "Are you mad that I'm here?"

"No," Donna replied quickly, her face softening as she sat down on the bed.  She only allowed herself to look at his face, lest she reach over and yank off his towel and pull him down on her.  "I'm not mad you're here, but I’m mad that the desk clerk will apparently give a room key to any random guy off the street who wanders into the hotel.  What if you were an axe murderer or… say… a spy, from a rival campaign?"

"Oh… well, she didn't think I was a random, an axe murderer or a spy…"  He smiled at her roguishly. "She thought I was Mr. Moss."  

"She thought you were my father!"  Donna shrieked again, leaping up from the bed.

"No!" He squeaked indignantly, his eyes bugging out of his head.  "Why would she think I was your father!? I don't look old enough to be your father!"  He shook his head and put his hand on his chest, as his voice took on a hurt quality. "You think I look old enough to be your father?"

Donna bit her lip, before breaking down into giggles.  He was positively adorable in a towel, taking umbrage at the thought of being called her father.   

"Now it's funny that I look old enough, in your mind, to be your father!?"

"I didn't say you look old enough to be my father.  You look…"  Her eyes started wandering down his chest once again and she quickly realized that if she continued down that path she was going to jump him before she got an explanation for his presence in her room.

"I look…" He prodded with a worried look etched across his face.

"Very unlike my father."   Donna smiled and bit her lip shyly, but when she saw his grin get too large, she added, "My dad has more hair."

When his eyes narrowed at her, she just shrugged and quickly continued. "But don’t forget, I'm not the one who thought you looked like my dad, the hotel clerk was."

"Conchita."

"Huh."

"The hotel clerk.  Her name is Conchita."

"Fine.  So Conchita is the one who though you looked like my dad."

"What are you talking about?"

"You said the clerk, Conchita, thought you were Mr. Moss."

"Yes, she did think I was Mr. Moss!  But not Mr. Moss your father, Mr. Moss your husband!"

"My hus…"  Donna's eyes went wide and her voice trailed to nothing.  Clearing her throat, she tried again.  "Oh… where would she get a crazy idea like that?"

With a smirk, he asked, "It's a crazy idea?"

"I… uh… well…" She sputtered before stopping and admonishing him exasperatedly, "Joshua…"

"I mean, I am in your hotel room in a towel, so maybe it's not entirely a crazy assumption for Conchita to make, is all I’m saying…"

"You weren't naked in my hotel room before she gave you the key!  At least I hope you weren't!"  With a thread of terror in her voice she pleaded, "Please tell me you weren't naked-"

"Save for a towel," Josh interjected matter-of-factly.

"Okay, please tell me you weren't naked—save for a towel-- in the lobby when she gave you the key?"

"I wasn't naked in the lobby save for a towel.  I saved that for the privacy of your hotel room."  Donna rolled her eyes, but sighed with relief as he continued with his explanation.  "As I was leaving the hotel, to go back to my own hotel, I stopped at the front desk and asked the clerk if she knew of a florist in town."

"A florist… why?"  Donna's forehead crinkled in an adorable manner that caused a stirring in Josh's soul this time, not his groin.   Even more than wanting this woman, he had missed this woman, missed everything about her.

Laughing not at her, but with the joy of just being in her presence, he tightened his towel and leaned against the dresser.  "Because, Donnatella, I met this hot blonde from the Russell campaign and I wanted to send her flowers – try out my woo, see if I've still got it."

"You never had it."  She shook her head but was completely betrayed by a brilliant smile that absolutely lit up her blue eyes.  It only took a couple seconds for her curiosity to get the better of her. "You were gonna send me flowers?"

With pure mischief in his heart, he shook his head. "No, not you… the other blonde on the Russell campaign… the young one with the short spiky hair… she's hot!  What's her name? I'll need that for the card," Josh queried with deadpan delivery.

Donna froze for a second before she saw him smirk.  She tried swatting at his shoulder in retaliation, but Josh caught her arm before she made contact.  Slowly, he let his fingers trace down her forearm until he reached her wrist and eventually linked his fingers with hers.  Donna's eyes found his and her heart lurched.

"Yes, I was going to send you flowers."

"Jooooosh," she drawled as she squeezed their linked fingers.  "That is so sweet."

He beamed back at her.  "I know."

Pressing her lips together to suppress a grin, and shaking her head slightly at his ego, she attempted to get back to the heart of the matter.  His presence in her room. "But that still doesn't explain when we got married and you became Mr. Moss."

"She knew you.  Hotel clerk Conchita knew you."

"Apparently not very well if she thought I had a Mr. Moss…"  Donna replied haughtily, but Josh ignored her tone while he lazily traced circles with his thumb across the back of her hand.  That distracted her for several lengthy moments, before she finally remembered that she wanted answers and admitted, "I arranged for all the rooms and the conference space so I dealt with her earlier, but I didn't tell her there was a Mr. Moss.  When did she marry me off and turn you into the bridegroom?"

"Apparently, there are security cameras in the pool area."

"So?"  Donna shrugged, before dawning hit and her eyes went wide. "Oh!"

"Yes… she saw us… in her words 'dandling' in the hot tub."

Blushing furiously, Donna bit her lip. "She saw us… almost…"

"Yup."

"I see."

"And she also saw me come in earlier and go directly up to your-- I mean our-- room and she assumed we were married." Josh shrugged with put-on innocence.  "And I didn't disabuse her of the notion."

"That's it?"

"Hmm… I also might have told her your ogre boss was making you work late."

"I've had many an ogre boss that have made me work late," Donna interjected dryly. 

"Yes, but you enjoyed working late for that ogre, this ogre was coming between some very important… dandling."  Josh enjoyed that Donna blushed once again.   "Anyway, she kindly offered to take care of it for me.  She told me to go on up to the room and you'd be up in a jiffy."

"A jiffy, huh?"  Thoughtfully, Donna nodded with new understanding. "I guess that explains the wink."

"What wink?"  Josh asked suspiciously.

"Nothing."  Donna shook her head to clear it. "That still doesn't explain-"

"That's when I pretended that I'd left both keys with you back at the pool. She obliged with a new key and I decided to follow her orders and come up here and wait for you."  He moved even closer to her and didn't stop until they were separated by only a few inches.  Letting go of her hand, he brought both hands up to her shoulders.

"Just following orders, huh?"  Donna asked huskily as her stomach muscle clenched and a thousand butterflies flitted across her abdomen at the intensity of the way he looked at her.  Not to mention the proximity of his nearly naked presence. "Did she also order you to get naked?"

"No…"  Josh's voice was barely above a whisper.  "That was my brilliant idea."

"Because you figured I wouldn’t be mad that you broke in… if you were naked?"

"Because I was wearing dripping wet boxers and that doesn't exactly make for a comfy outfit. And once they were off…  I didn't have anything else to put on.  My pants were pretty wet, too.  And I left the plaid boxers with you."

"Pretty convenient scenario, Lyman." Donna raised a cool eyebrow at him playfully.

"It was your idea that I swim in my boxers to begin with, thus creating the necessity for near-nakedness now!"  There was a slight huff to his defense and Donna couldn't hide her amusement.  "Now you're laughing at me?"

"Yes, I am."  She brought her hands to rest on his waist, just above where the towel hit, caressing small circles on his warm skin with her palms as she admitted, "But I guess that's a good reason for you to be nearly naked."

Training his gaze on her, Josh slowly ran his hands from her shoulders, up her neck and finally came to rest on her cheeks.  When he saw her eyes go dark with desire, he ventured, "We almost kissed tonight."

Her breath caught in her throat, but she commanded herself to stay calm.  "I know… I was…uh… there."  When he didn't say anything she continued, "So are you here to kiss me?"

He took a half-step closer to her and looked intently into her eyes.  "I'm here, Donnatella Moss, because after I left you earlier, I couldn't imagine going to bed another night still never having kissed you."

Donna's heart flipped completely over and did a spin in her chest.  "That is the sweetest, sexiest thing anyone's ever said to me, Joshua… Moss."  A low chuckle escaped his throat at that before he turned completely serious.

"So, you'll let me kiss you?"  Josh's hands were still cupping her face and he slowly caressed her cheeks with his thumbs.

She nodded, breathless with anticipation for an experience that she had wanted for so very long and until five days ago had given up hope on completely.  Josh gently pulled her forward. Donna closed her eyes and parted her lips slightly.  Wasting not another second, he closed the distance between them.

Once again his lips had exerted only the barest pressure on hers when he felt them move against his… but not in a good way.  Instead of participating in the kiss, they formed the word, "Wait!"

Josh froze, fought for control and then leaned back slightly so that he could see her. "What's wrong now?"

"This is our first kiss."

"Yes, it would be if we ever got around to having it."

"Our first kiss should be special," Donna stated concisely.

"This isn't special?"  Josh questioned. "Because it feels pretty special from over here."

"No… I mean, yes, it's inherently special… but it could be more special."

"How?"  Josh sighed as he reached up to trace her hairline with his index finger and flip a still damp strand behind her ear. "How could anything be more special than this?"

"I could not be in a cold, wet swimsuit that's about to start chafing." 

"Oh…"  He crinkled his forehead, before a grin broke clean across his face.  "Don't let me stop you from taking it off…. I would hate for you to be uncomfortable. Or for there to be… chafing." 

"Good, I'm glad you understand… I'll be right back."  Donna started for the bathroom.

"Hey, where are you going?  I thought you could take it off right here..."  Josh gestured to the space right in front of him where she'd been standing only seconds earlier. 

"I'll be right back, Joshua, fully comfortable and then we can commence with the kissing."

Josh watched the bathroom door close behind her and thought about following her in… patience was not his strong suit.  But he knew that wasn't an option, he'd just have to dig deep and find some hidden fortitude.  Besides, how long would she need to take off a swimsuit, anyway?   Thirty seconds?  He'd waited eight years; surely he could wait another thirty seconds…


	2. Being Mr. Moss

 

**Being Mr. Moss**

**by:** Liza C.

**Character(s):** Josh, Donna  
**Pairing(s):** Josh/Donna  
**Category(s):** Romance  
**Rating:** MATURE  
**Disclaimer:** This is just some not-for-profit fun done out of love and respect for the characters.  
**Summary:** A Sequel to "A Chivalrous Outlaw". Josh and Donna have even MORE fun on the campaign trail.   
**Spoiler:** King Corn  
**Author's Note:** Beta'ed By Kim 

* * *

Once in the bathroom, Donna was anything but comfortable.  The blood raced through her veins as if she were standing on a precipice, about to take up skydiving.   Feeling light headed, she turned on the shower as she shrugged out of her sweats and swimsuit.  Jumping under the spray, the hot water did nothing to slow her heartbeat or calm the fluttering in her chest, but it did warm her up nicely.  

She couldn’t believe what was happening. Josh was in her room, in a towel, and in a few minutes they would be sharing their first kiss.  As much as she wanted to get back to him, part of her was actually a little… nervous.  Because, and not to put too fine a point on it, but SHE WAS IN THE SHOWER. Josh was in her hotel room—PRACTICALLY NAKED-- and everything seemed to be moving a little fast.   Taking a cleansing deep breath of shower steam, she turned her back on the spray in order to rinse her hair.  As she exhaled she told herself that it was just a kiss.  It wasn't like it needed to lead anywhere else tonight.  

Except that if she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she actually really wanted it to lead somewhere else.  But wasn't moving too fast a recipe for disaster?   Though, if she thought it was too soon, why was she taking a shower?  Being covered in chlorine was probably a good deterrent to sex. Not that she thought Josh would have minded, but judging from the other wet towel in the bathroom, he had showered too.  And she didn't want to be covered in pungent pool chemicals the first time they made love. So it would have been a deterrent for her.  The truth hit her that subconsciously she hadn't been interested in deterrents or any more delays. 

They'd only been back on easy speaking terms for five days.  And even then, they hadn't spoken for FIVE days; tonight was the first night they'd talked since the hallway in Iowa.  They were supposed to be finding their way back to friendship.  However, she was fairly certain they'd zoomed past the road sign to friendship at about 60 miles an hour at some point over the course of the evening and were headed full speed towards something much… more.  

When she thought of the timetable it made her head whir.  Then she remembered that this was a guy she'd wanted for eight years and the truth was that it was so far overdue that it couldn't happen fast enough.  Suddenly, she was determined to take the quickest shower ever.  But not so quick that she couldn't take a proper shower.  She pulled back the curtain slightly and reached for the raspberry body wash on the sink counter.  If she was doing away with the chlorine, she might as well do it right.

***

When Josh heard the shower start he grimaced almost painfully.  Was she trying to kill him?  Because now he not only had to wait much longer than thirty seconds, he now had to wait with the knowledge that she was in there naked… in the shower… and, you know, doing naked shower things… with shampoo… and soap… and washcloths… he knew he had to stop or else he was going to hyperventilate.  

Perhaps he should do something to slow things down.  Like make himself more presentable?  Should he get dressed?  At least put underwear on?  But the boxers he'd worn in the hot tub were, of course, still wet… and in Donna's bathroom, with naked, showering Donna.  So they weren't an option.  And he still had no idea where the plaid sleeping boxers were. The thought of those plaid boxers, and the reminder that Donna had been sleeping in his underwear for who knows how long, sent another electric jolt right to his groin.  

Yeah, he should probably slow things down, while he could still control himself.  At the very least he could put on his shirt.  Grabbing it from the back of a chair, he shrugged into it hastily. As he finished buttoning it up, he caught his reflection in the mirror over the dresser.  He paused for just a nanosecond before shrugging back out of the shirt just as quickly as he'd put it on.  Once out of the shirt he checked his reflection again and nodded in approval.  Because a guy in a towel could be sexy.  But when he put the shirt on, he'd suddenly transformed from sexy towel guy, into weird skirt-wearing guy.

A guy in a skirt, even if it was really a towel, was definitely not the image he was trying to project at the moment.  Although the shirt and skirt option did have an upside… the shirt helped cover the bulge in his towel.  Which, looking in the mirror, he realized was much more noticeable than he'd previously thought.  But did it really matter at this point?  It wasn't like the old days when she worked for him and he had to hide the effect she had on him. But he still didn't want to flaunt anything that would pressure her.  Because realistically, they hadn't even had a first kiss yet and it probably wouldn't be wise to park the SUV in the garage before opening the garage door… or some less disturbing analogy.  

A minute later he was still silently debating the merits of the shirt/skirt look when he heard the shower shut off.  His chest tightened with anticipation and he jumped up from the stiff wooden chair where he'd been waiting for her.  Only to hear a blow dryer flip on.  Impatiently flopping down on the end of the bed, he searched the room for something to distract him from… well from what they weren't doing, but he wished they were.  Patience had never been his strong suit.

***

When Donna was finally ready to emerge from the bathroom she felt much fresher, much warmer and much more like herself.  But she still had the flutter in her chest.  And desire…other places.

He was standing by the side of the bed waiting for her, still only in the towel, hands on his hips.  The second she opened the bathroom door, he accused, "You took a shower!"

"I did." She couldn't help but chuckle at the tone of his voice.

"Why?"  He whined.

"To get clean, what's the matter, did you prefer me dirty?"

"No… well… yes, maybe, but you took forever…"  

Glancing around him, she checked the clock and shook her head with a low throaty laugh. "It's only been eight minutes, Josh, that's hardly forever.  In fact I'd say it's a record.  We should call Guinness."

"Eight minutes is a long time."

"It's really not."

He finally truly looked at her and his jaw almost fell off his face. "You're just wearing a towel!"  

"I know."  

She wasn't wearing any makeup, but her fresh-faced countenance only made her look younger.  Her hair was a little wild, but dry, and hanging around her shoulders in soft enticing waves. The pale skin of her arms and legs and chest and everything else not covered by the towel, glowed in the soft light.  Even across the distance of the dim room he could see the freckles that dotted her shoulders.  He decided at some point he would introduce himself to each of them with a kiss. 

"Are you…"  All moisture had vanished from his throat and he was having trouble breathing, "Are you naked under that towel?"

"What do you think?"  She asked provocatively.  "I didn't bring any fresh clothes in the bathroom, besides, you're in a towel. I think we should have some equality of wardrobe for our first kiss, dontcha think?

"Equality of wardrobe?"

"You don't believe in equality of wardrobe?  Should I put my sweats back on?"

"Donna…"  His voice was still low and husky. "…if it keeps you in a towel and nothing else, then I'm a huge fan of equality of wardrobe.  Seriously, I'll build a campaign platform around equality of wardrobe; hell, I'll even throw it a parade…"

Pleased with his response, but very aware that she was clad only in that white towel wound around her mid-section, she carefully started to advance towards him, intent on finally having their first kiss. Until she noticed something was different and stopped mid-step.

"The radio is on."

"Yes, it is," he answered immediately, but didn't take his eyes off her legs.  The towel just brushed the very top of them when she walked and he couldn't remember seeing something so sexy.  Even though he'd seen more of her earlier in the actual swimsuit, it didn't compare to this.  One flip of the towel and he would be…

"The radio is on and…" She glanced around the room, inspecting it for other alterations, "You turned off all the lights."

"Not all the lights…" He corrected, his voice low and husky. "The small lamp on the dresser in the corner is still on."

"I see… why did you turn off all the lights except for one small lamp in the corner and turn on the radio?  Are you trying to seduce me…" she paused to listen for a second in order to identify the song. "With Whitney Houston?"

"No!"

"No, you're not trying to seduce me…"  She stuck her lower lip out at him in protest. "Or no you're not trying to seduce me with Whitney Houston?"

"No… yes… I mean I… uh..."  Donna's pout gave way as she giggled at his incoherence.  His eyes snapped to hers, and even in the dimmed light she could see a playful glint in them as he retorted, "You come out naked-- save for a teeny tiny towel-- and accuse *me* of trying to seduce you?  If anyone is doing the seducing, lady, it's you!"

"So you're saying that you, of the breaking into my room by pretending to be my husband and making your naked self at home once you got here, are not seducing me?"

"Yes, that is what I'm saying."  His dimples were out in full force now.  "I am the seducee, you are the seducer."  

"Well… what are the Whitney Houston and dimmed lights for then, if you're just an innocent seducee?"  Donna asked with a raised eyebrow as she made her way to stand directly in front of him.  

"Um… it's for atmosphere… for our first kiss… you wanted it to be perfect."

Pressing both her palms to his chest, she caressed her hands down to his sides and then slipped them around his back.

"Whitney Houston is the perfect atmosphere for a first kiss?"  She asked with a teasing tone as she linked her hands behind his back, bringing their bodies flush against one another.  At first contact, she felt his erection pressing into her, through both towels, and immediately felt her own need pool between her legs.  She fairly whispered, "I didn't know you were such a fan…"

Josh's breath caught in his throat and it took everything he had to focus on the conversation and not the way their lower bodies were now in delicious contact.  "Your, uh…"  Clearing his throat, he tried again.  "Your clock radio there only gets AM and it was either this easy listening station or talk radio… or sports talk radio," Josh answered as he slid his arms around her back in a manner similar to what she'd done, but careful not to jostle the very small towel she was wearing.  "I went with the easy listening…"

As they stood, arms around waists, and brown eyes intensely making contact with blue, Donna felt a shiver run the length of her entire body.  Feeling her shudder, Josh tugged her even closer.  With the new proximity, he only had to lean in an inch or so in order to nuzzle his nose against hers.  When she tilted her head, he edged towards her and just as his lips were about to connect with hers… she whispered "wait" once again.

This time he released her and jumped back; the squeak of his voice hit the ceiling. "What now!?" 

She pressed her lips together to suppress a giggle as she saw him begin to pace in a small circle like a caged lion.  "I don't want this song to be our song."

"What do you mean 'our song'?  It doesn't have to be our song."  Josh shook his head with frustrated confusion.

"Josh, if this is the song that's playing when we have our first kiss, then it automatically becomes our song, we'll have to play it at every…"

Not wholly void of doubt, he stopped pacing and interrupted her softly. "We're going to have a song?"  

Donna bit her lip, all of a sudden overcome with apprehension. Maybe she'd assumed too much?  Maybe this wasn't going where she had allowed herself to hope it was going?  Had the speed of the evening made her lose her mind?  She knew better than to say something like that to a guy on the first date. "I don't know…"  She shrugged and turned away from him, her eyes trained on the carpet. "I don't know if we'll end up having a song. I'm not saying I think we will have a song or that we have to have a song.   But if things end up… if we do end up having a song, I just don't want this to be it…"  

Despite the babbling, her words lassoed Josh's heart and pulled tight. He was completely lost to her. But it occurred to him that while he knew where he stood, Donna obviously did not. He reached over, found her hand and gently tugged her back towards him.  When she was once again facing him, he lifted her chin so she would meet his eye.  "I want us to have a song."

A hopeful smile tugged at her lips. "Really?"

"Yes, really."  

"Because to have a song means that we're looking at something that lasts beyond tonight… or tomorrow… or even next month…"

"I know what it means to have a song.  And I want us to have a song."

Donna's smile positively lit up her face. "I want us to have a song, too."  Their eyes met and a new level of understanding passed between them.  Josh was just getting ready to lean in, yet again, when Donna mumbled, "But it just can't be this song."

All Josh could do was laugh; to him, one sappy love song was the same as the next. "What do you have against Whitney?"  

"I Will Always Love You?"  Donna shook her head, "I have a bad association with The Bodyguard.  When I saw this in the theater, Billy Newman tried to get to second base with me."

"I'll kill him," Josh growled, only half kidding.

"Jooosh," she admonished, but smiled with not-so-secret pleasure.

"Well we can't make out to talk radio.  I'm not listening to some over-opinionated bozo wax on ignorantly about the primary-" 

"That's because your candidate-"

"Donna, is that the direction we want this conversation to head?"  He interrupted what was sure to be a dig at Santos.

"No."  She quickly shook her head. "Nope, that is definitely not the direction I want it to head."  Then she added playfully, "At least not tonight."

Josh ignored the jibe and glanced back to the radio. "So would you prefer to kiss to sports talk radio?"  At this point, Josh was willing to do just about anything to get to the kissing already.  "That way we don't have to commit to a song tonight?"

"No the song is more than half over, let's see what the next one is." 

He nodded once in resignation, then walked in a tight loop at the foot of the bed.  He stopped and stood, just looking at her, as the song continued… on... and on…  Josh was about to jump right out of his skin.  After what he thought had been an interminable wait, but which had really only been about fifteen seconds, he asked, "Can we agree that our song will be the one that is playing when we kiss?"

With confusion, Donna answered, "Suuure… why?"

He held out his hand to her. "Dance with me?  Dance with me while we wait for the right song."

Warming from the inside out, she was afraid she was going to melt into a puddle right then and there.   Placing her hand in his, her stomach clenched and hot tears threatened behind her eyes.  It was stupid to get emotional, she knew it, but she couldn't remember the last time she'd been asked to dance by someone she actually wanted to dance with.

Once her hand was in his, he squeezed it and pulled her into him intimately.  An intimacy made slightly less innocuous by their near-nudity.  One hand placed firmly on her towel-clad back, Josh brought their clasped hands up to rest on his chest.   Donna set her other arm around his bare shoulder.  The warmth of his skin and the tenderness of the contact immediately set the flesh of her forearm tingling.  

A hot tickle still threatened behind her eyes and she silently admonished herself not to cry.  Trying to ward off the emotion that threatened, she concentrated on the feel of his hand firmly at her back and the way his chest was rising and falling against her hand with each breath.  Swallowing the lump that was still present in her throat, she finally raised her eyes to Josh's.

Josh had been watching her, wondering what was going through her mind when she finally looked up at him.  Even though he didn't stop their swaying motion, he was immediately troubled by what he saw.  Eyes that were bright, too bright.  "Are you okay… are you about to… did I upset you?"

She shook her head quickly and smiled.

"They why do you look like you're about to cry?"

Swallowing hard, she willed herself to stay composed before meeting his gaze. "Because I just… didn't imagine you would be this sweet… and patient… and not you… like."

He leaned in to kiss her forehead and then tugged her even tighter to him.  

Just then the music changed and a new song came on.  After several seconds of it, Josh leaned back and raised an eyebrow at her in question.  Donna knew what he was asking and shook her head vigorously.

"Why not?"  He questioned, trying to keep himself in check.

"Time of My Life?  From Dirty Dancing… I don't think so."

"Did some teenage lothario get fresh with you when you went to see that, also?"  Josh asked, trying not to laugh.

"No, but someday do you really want to have to walk up to some band and request a song with a Patrick Swayze connotation?" she asked reasonably.

He grimaced and took a deep breath. "So we wait?" 

She just nodded slightly and pressed back into him, resting her temple against his as she ran her hand up his bare back and down again.   His slight five o'clock shadow pricked at her cheek and was in sharp contrast to the smooth expanse of skin covering his back and shoulder.  The almost TOO smooth expanse of skin covering his back and shoulder.  She breathed in deeply before whispering into his ear, "Did you use my moisturizing raspberry body wash when you took a shower?"  

"Uh… no."  His guilt rang clear through his whisper.

"Yes, you did."

"How do you know I even showered?"

"Because you smell like raspberries instead of like chlorine."

"It was the only soap in there," he defended.

"There was the soap that Holiday Inn generously supplies all its guests," Donna teased, still whispering.

"Yeah, but that stuff doesn't remind me of you."

Donna couldn't help herself; she made the "Awwww" sound one makes when they are cooing over a baby or some other such cute mammal.   Even though she couldn't see his face, she could feel his grin against her cheek.  

"Besides, I hate unwrapping the soggy paper off those things when they are already in the shower."

Before she could respond, he took their clasped hands and in one swift motion twirled her away from him in time to the music.  She let out a loud squeal as she spun around once to Bill Medley and Jennifer Warren’s wailing about 'never feeling this way before' and she had to agree, she'd never felt this way before.   And just as quickly as he'd spun her out, he pulled her back to him and they were once again slowly swaying, despite the upbeat tempo of the music.  

"Wow."  Her temple was back resting against his and she would swear she could feel his heartbeat pulsing against her.

"I know," he answered back smugly.  "That was a little taste of what dancing with me at Santos' Inauguration will be like."

Giggling, Donna retorted, "You mean, Russell's."  His only reply was to pull her even closer.

After another minute, the music once again changed, and once again Josh pulled back to shoot Donna a questioning look.  Donna actually had no specific objection to the song, but she just wasn't ready to quit dancing yet.  So she shook her head. "After All?  Cher and Peter Cetera?  They play this at the end of Chances Are when Cybill Shepherd finally marries Ryan O'Neal as her reincarnated first husband, Robert Downey Jr., watches on… it makes me cry every time."

"So we need to wait for a song that has no movie connection for you?"  Josh asked with more humor than impatience.

She nodded and pressed back into him.  They were silent for several seconds, just swaying and holding each other close.  The truth was, as much as Josh wanted to get to the kissing, this was pretty good too, and he was in no hurry to see it end.

However, something she said was weighing on him and he broke the silence.  "What you said about this not being me-like?"

"Yeah?" She replied so softly he almost didn't hear her, even though her mouth was only inches from his ear.

"Well, maybe I am being un-me-like, but it's sincere… I want you to know that I'm being sincere."  She could feel him take a deep breath, before he continued whispering in her hair as they continued swaying slowly to the music. "Not being with you, near you… it hasn't been easy."  

"For me either, Josh."  

   
He squeezed her even tighter, before he had to continue.  "To almost lose you to something out of my control would have done me in, Donnatella. But then… when you came back to me and were okay and then I realized that I'd lost you anyway… to something that was my fault… to something I did have some control over…I almost… it drove me… I didn't know what to…"  His voice choked slightly on the build-up of emotion.

Donna pulled back and cupped his cheek, tears glistening in her eyes.  "You never lost me… not really."

His heart contracted and he knew he had no choice. Prudent or not, nothing was going to stop him.  "Donna …"

"Yeah…"  She asked with a smile, still stroking his cheek with one hand.

"I love you."

"Huh?"  The shock registered clearly through that one small grunt.  Her eyes went wide and she was instantly lightheaded. Fainting was definitely not out of the realm of possibility.  That wasn't at all what she had expected him to say.

He felt her sway and he locked his arm around her back.  "I don't want to move too fast, but I also don’t want to lose another chance.  So maybe saying it isn't the smart thing to do, or maybe saying it is the only thing to do… I don't know, but I do know that I needed you to know..."  He knew he was probably making no sense.

"Really?"  Several tears finally escaped and made wet trails down her cheek.  She felt a heady rush rise through her entire body; she'd never been so affected by words before.  But this was Josh and he was saying something she'd daydreamed about hearing from him for years. 

"Yes, really.  I love you and I know it's ridiculous because we haven't even kissed yet, but it's not like that's going to change how I feel, so why wait… but I also don't want to mess this up-"

She interrupted him by throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a bear hug.  He instantly circled his arms around her waist and crushed her to him.  Having her enveloped in his embrace felt so good, so right and he never wanted to let her go, that way he could ensure that she would always be safe and free from hurt. He also silently promised that the thing that caused her hurt-- would never again be him.  

Several moments later, she mumbled into his neck, "You're not messing this up, Josh."

"I'm not?"  His voice carried a relieved lilt, although the hug had been a pretty good sign that he was on the right track.

Releasing the vice grip she had around his neck, she leaned back and met his eye. "No, you're definitely not. Because…"  She paused to blush.

"Because…" He prodded anxiously.

"Because I love you, too."  

A huge grin spread from the one side of Josh's face to the other.  "Really, because you know I always sort of suspected as much, but-"

"Josh…" She interrupted him in a commanding, yet gentle tone. "Shut up and kiss me."

"Okay…" He agreed eagerly.  Once again he moved slowly towards her, but this time he was the one who stopped.  He glanced towards the clock radio. "But what about the song. It's still that movie song."

"After All.  It's called After All.  You're going to have to learn the name of the song, because the song is perfect, I love the song.  And even if I didn't, I would still need you to kiss me right this sec-"

She hadn't even gotten the word 'second' out, when his lips descended on hers.  The kiss started simply enough.  His mouth pressed tenderly to hers.   Her lips were warm and inviting under his; he'd not known something so supple existed.  

There was something almost reverent in the way he concentrated on one kiss before beginning another.  It might've been their first kiss, and the physical sensations it created were all delightfully new, but there was nothing foreign feeling in being connected to one another.  This was exactly right; this was how it was supposed to be.  

She felt her heart twitter in her chest, as their lips slowly started moving together in electric harmony.  A low moan, or was it a sigh, escaped from her throat and upon hearing it he smiled against her mouth, pleased with himself for eliciting such a response from her.  As the seconds ticked by and their need became more pronounced, the kisses became faster and more heated. Tilting his head slightly, he changed the angle and darted his tongue out to taste her.  She immediately swayed and he once again tightened his grip to steady her, but he didn't stop.

It'd been a good thing he had a hold of her and that Donna's arms were once again wrapped around his neck, because when he'd started to part her lips with his tongue, she'd felt her knees buckle.  He was making her weak-in-the-knees with a simple kiss.  Of course, she was still reeling from the completely unexpected 'I love you' thing as well… but still, she couldn't wait to see what he would do to her when they got to the more-than-kissing part.


	3. Being Mr. Moss 3 - MATURE

 

**Being Mr. Moss**

**by:** Liza C.

**Character(s):** Josh, Donna  
**Pairing(s):** Josh/Donna  
**Category(s):** Romance  
**Rating:** MATURE  
**Disclaimer:** This is just some not-for-profit fun done out of love and respect for the characters.  
**Summary:** A Sequel to "A Chivalrous Outlaw". Josh and Donna have even MORE fun on the campaign trail.   
**Spoiler:** King Corn  
**Author's Note:** Beta'ed By Kim 

* * *

Was it possible to float?  For one’s feet to leave the ground, courtesy of a perfect, mind-blowing first kiss with the man you loved?  Donna was beginning to think so.  Mostly because her mind was in a fog… a really good fog, but a fog nonetheless, and she couldn't feel her legs.  Thus the floating.  Or maybe it was soaring.  Because floating conjured up the image of inactivity, and Donna was nothing if not an active participant in the mind-blowing kissing.  Her hands roamed up and down his back, touching every inch of him that she could reach, their tongues sparring in a glorious rhythm as their passion built.

When the kiss was finally broken—after lasting through a good number of unremarkable songs, including at least one commercial break-- they stood panting, foreheads pressed together.  Josh's forearms rested on her shoulders as her hands hung from his biceps.

"We have to turn the radio off," Donna finally declared, still breathless. 

"Why?"

"Because we are not going to make love while Michael Bolton serenades us.  I may enjoy a sappy love song, but the line really must be drawn somewhere."

Josh didn't even hear the last part.  He lifted his head from hers so that he could make eye contact.  "We're going to make love?"

"Aren't we?"  She bit her lip, suddenly shy.

"Oh, hell yeah."  He grinned and started walking her backwards towards the bed, until he furrowed his brow and stopped.  "I just didn't want you to think that we had to… because we're both almost naked.  I wasn't wearing a towel in order to try and coerce you…"

She stopped him with a kiss. Once she felt she'd made her point, she pulled her lips from him and reassured, "I know."

"Really?"

"Yes…"  She giggled as she ran her hands down his back until she was fingering the top of his towel in a playful, yet wicked way.   

"What about… I wasn't planning, I don’t have any…"

Donna nodded. "I'm good, you?"

He nodded very quickly. "Me, too."  

"Then there's nothing to stop us."  Wearing a huge grin, she unhurriedly found the tucked end of his towel.  "You know it's kind of amazing these towels haven't fallen off of their own accord already, accidentally exposing us."

"Well…" 

"Well what?"

"Well, when we were dancing and I twirled you, your towel sort of spun and… I might have gotten a very short, very blurry glimpse of..."  His eyebrows quirked up in place of finishing the sentence.

Stunned, her mouth fell open.  But just as quickly, it twisted into an evil grin and her only response was one swift flick of her wrist.  The white terrycloth rectangle flipped off his waist and foregoing what she usually would have done-- which would be to fold the towel neatly and set it on a chair-- she tossed it on the floor with a flourish.  Inhaling sharply, she took in all of him and felt something pulse deep inside her.  He was visibly more than ready for her, and the image unleashed new, more urgent, waves of desire between her thighs.

Josh watched her watching him.  He was about to chuckle at her ardent study of his newly naked form, until he saw her lick her lips.  The simple flick of her tongue drove the humor right out of his mind and almost undid him.

"Your turn," Josh rasped as he reached over to the overlap in her towel, just to the side of her left breast.  Fingering it, he watched her eyes for permission.  They were dark and full of desire, but there was also something else present.

Fear.  Part of her was terrified of him seeing her completely naked.  Not that she was prude or overly modest.  It was certainly true that she'd probably never be the most adventurous person on the planet, but it wasn't that.  It's that no one, other than healthcare professionals, had seen her since Gaza.  She wasn't ashamed of the marks on her body, but their presence also didn't fill her with self-confidence when it came to standing in front of a lover.

She swallowed, met his eye and nodded her assent.  Complying, he tenderly pulled the towel free.  For him it was like the drape being pulled off a master work of art.  His eyes greedily took their fill.  The room was dim, lit by only the one lamp in the corner of the room, but even in the diminished light she glowed; he could see every curve and every swell of her naked form.  His breathing arrested completely as his eyes roamed over her and as he took her all in he gasped, "Oh God, Donna."

"Yes?"  She was relieved that her voice didn't betray any of her trepidation over his reaction.

"You…" Something was still working in some part of his brain, because it ordered him to look up at her eyes.  Apparently, it knew he shouldn't address the spot between her thighs when speaking to her.  "You are so beautiful."  She smiled with relief as his demeanor changed from complete awe to something more playful.  With a naughty twinkle in his eye, he added, "Seriously, you're really hot."

She swallowed a lump and simply said, "I'm scarred."

"Me, too."  The naughty twinkle disappeared as he sought to reassure her. "They only make you more beautiful to me. They remind me of how lucky we are."  He reached over and trailed a finger down the light scar on her chest.  "Besides, we're a matched set."

With that, she was on him.  She wasn't sure how she traveled the short distance between them, all she knew was that now they had their arms wrapped around one another, their mouths colliding hungrily. There was nothing soft or tentative about this kiss.   And this time there was also nothing between them, no barriers.  Her breasts, warm and tight, pressed flush against his naked flesh.  

He moaned as he pushed into her, feeling her for the first time.  Wanting more of her, needing more of her, he reaching down and cupped her bottom in each hand, lifting her higher and rubbing her more solidly against him, their lips never losing contact.  She made little purring sounds deep in her throat with the newfound friction against her hungry center.   With very little effort he lifted her all the way off the ground and she wrapped her legs around him; he wasn't as young as he used to be, but she was whisper light. Slowly, he began to make his way towards the bed with her wrapped tightly around him, her arms twined around his neck and her thighs squeezing her securely to his torso.

With his mouth fused to hers, he couldn't see where they were going, and with her center flush against him, his mind wasn't working at a full enough capacity for him to care.  This created a situation in which his shin hit the side of the bed a full step before he thought it would.  That caused him to clumsily stumble forward over the bed.  Flailing and unable to keep his balance, he had no choice but to let go of her. 

Surprised by the sudden upset, she loosened the grip of both her arms and her thighs, and without ceremony, went tumbling onto the bed.

Slightly disheveled and momentarily discombobulated, it took her a second to figure out why she was sprawled on the bed, alone.  With put-on indignation, she pushed her hair out of her face and glared up at him.  "You dropped me!"  

After taking several seconds for a quick visual survey to make sure she was okay, he shook his head knowingly.  "No, I didn't.  I deposited you.  I meant to do that. We're at the bed.  The place where the lovemaking will commence. Trust me; this is where you want to be."

She shook her head but couldn't keep a straight face.  "I don't believe it for a second.  You weren't watching where you were going. You very obviously tripped on the bed and dropped me."

"I only dropped you two feet and onto a bed… are you okay?"

She nodded with a giggle and stood hastily.

"What are you doing now?  We're at the bed.  That was our destination.  Why are you getting up? There's no need to get up."  His voice was perilously close to a whine.

"Hotel bedspread.  Ick," she explained as she stripped the bedspread off and placed it on the floor in the corner.  

"I see.  Good thinking."  But once she had the bedspread in a neat pile, he strode towards her and swept her back into his arms.  This time he cradled her, using one arm to support her back and the other to support her legs.  The second he swung her into his arms she yelped and then started giggling uncontrollably. Her arms instantly circled his neck and she delighted in the feel of her skin being cradled against his exposed chest.  It seemed overwhelmingly intimate, but considering what was about to happen, she realized it was just the tip of the iceberg. 

Once Donna was secure in his arms, he made his way purposefully back to the bed.  This time, since his vision wasn't obscured by their making out, he was able to see exactly where they were going and exactly when their destination was reached.  He was about to deposit her back on the bed when she cried out, "Wait!"

All he could do was grunt in response, but he didn't let her go.

"The blanket, we don't want the blanket either."

"So we're going to sleep in a bed with just a sheet?"

"Planning on doing a lot of sleeping there, big guy?"  She asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Well, I don't… I, uh… eventually won't we get cold?"

"I'm thinking no." She shrugged and kissed his temple.

"Okay.”  He set her down and she quickly stripped the ugly tan blanket off the bed as well.  When she was finished, all that was left on the bed were the crisp white sheets and pillows.  

"We good now?" 

"Yup, I think so."

She stood in front of him expectantly.

"What?"  He questioned.

"Aren't you gonna… you know."  She motioned with her head towards the bed.

His lips curled upwards. "Nope, I'm going to wear myself out for the good stuff if I keep that up.  You're going to have to get from there to the bed all on your own."

She crossed her arms over her chest-- covering her breasts, incidentally-- and pouted. "I don't know, Josh.  It's a whole five feet from here to the bed.  I might not make it if left to my own devices.”  

It only took a second for him to relent and cross to her.  A moment later she was back in his arms… this time when they got to the bed, he found her mouth and kissed her tenderly.  Donna sighed into him and had just opened her mouth in order to invite his tongue in for a cozy tete-e-tete, when he bent over slightly and this time, purposely dropped her on the bed.

Flummoxed, she sat bouncing on the mattress for several seconds, before once again pushing wild strands of hair away from her face, and indignantly charging, "Hey, you dropped me again."  

"I did?"

"Yes, on purpose this time."  Her accusation didn't have much bite, since her voice was full of mirth.

"Oh… sorry about that… let me make it up to you." Setting one knee on the bed, he started crawling towards her in a predatory fashion.  With her nerves in an excited rush and heart beating wildly, she began scooting her way towards the head of the bed, away from him.  

"What are you going to do to me?"  She asked playfully and not a little breathlessly.

"Hmm… what to do."  He stopped beside where she had scooted all the way back up against the headboard.  "The question is Donna, what aren't I going to do?"  She squealed as he firmly put his hands on her hips and pulled her swiftly down so she was lying on her back.   Before she could respond his face was buried in her neck and she was lost to the sensation.

***

Once complete, he collapsed on top of her, exhausted and blissfully satisfied.  It took several minutes for both of them to come back to earth, but Josh had enough presence of mind to roll his weight off of her.  But not wanting to lose contact, he immediately pulled her back to him so that they were on their sides, facing one another. 

Several minutes later, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and sighed, "That was… you were…"

Donna opened one sleepy eye to look over him.  "Yesssss?"

"Amazing."

She chuckled into his chest.

"And fun."

"Fun?"  Now she opened both eyes in question.

"Yeah, fun… you promised me fun tonight and you certainly delivered," he said, still trying to catch his breath. "For instance, that is for sure the most fun I've had all year."

"All year?"  She tried to smirk, but she was too content to make the expression, so she just smiled.

"All last year, too… and probably the year before that.  Let's just say decade."

Giggling and somewhat recovered, Donna sat up in order to grab the abandoned top sheet from the end of the bed.  Pulling it up and over them, she snuggled against him once again.  "You know, when I invited you for fun earlier; this wasn't what I had in mind."

"No?"  Josh acted taken aback.  "Because I was certain we were going to have mind-bending sex when you invited me to your hotel room earlier."

"Really…"  She smiled brightly. "Because all I had in mind was to push you in the pool in your underwear.  I thought that would be funny."

"I knew it was a plot.  Push me in the pool in my underwear and then I can't go back to my own hotel, so my only option is to break into your room and get naked."

"Yup, my evil plan worked."  

"I'm glad it worked." 

"Me, too.  And I had fun, too."

"Yeah?  What was most fun for you?"

"The dancing… definitely the dancing."  She sighed.

Josh's eyes registered playful shock. "You liked that better than…" he nodded his head towards the headboard.

"No… after that…"  She mimicked his head motion, "…I had the most fun dancing."

"I'll remember that."  

"You better." She snuggled into his chest.

He was quiet for several seconds before he asked tentatively, "Can we have fun again?"

Started by the question, she immediately pulled back in order to cock a curious eyebrow at him.  "I'm banking on it, Lyman."

"No…"  He backpedaled quickly, caressing her shoulder.  "I more meant *when* can we have fun again.  I'm thinking tomorrow night? Meet about midnight… my room maybe…"

Her face fell immediately.

"What?  What's wrong?" He propped himself up on one elbow so that he could look down at her, his other hand softly caressing the soft skin on her hip.

"Nothing.  It's just that I'm leaving at 8am tomorrow..."  She glanced at the clock. "I mean today.  I'm leaving at 8am today."

"Oh…"  The disappointment rang clear through his voice.  "I thought you were here for a couple of days."

"I did, too.  But that's the change in plans Will wanted to talk to me about.  He's reassigned me.  I'm going with the advance team."

Josh's eyes immediately narrowed. "When did he make the decision to reassign you?  Before or after he saw us together…"

"I don't know… it could just be a coincidence."

"Do you think it's a coincidence?"  Josh asked tensely.  A small shrug was the only reply he got.

"So this… is this because of me?  You're being punished because of me?"  His voice was tight, and she could see anger begin to bubble just under the surface. 

She brought her hand up to caress his cheek soothingly. "I'm not sure, but this is actually good for me.  It's a step up in the campaign.  I'm going to be in charge of the advance team."

"Yeah, but if that little weasel did it just to get you out of town, because I'm in town, I will kick his scrawny-"

"Josh!"  She interrupted him harshly. "It might *not* be because of you.  It might be because I've been doing a good job and Will needed someone he could trust on the advance." Her voice had been sharper than she'd intended, so she took a deep breath and added softly, "I'm just saying it might not be because of you, it might be because of me…"

Properly chastised, Josh nodded his head once before swallowing hard.  She was right; he was jumping to conclusions based on old assumptions.  He needed to rewire the way he thought of her professionally. Looking down at her seriously, he brought his hand up to trace her jaw tenderly.  "I'm proud of you… you know that, right?"

Donna's head whirred as she searched his warm, intense brown eyes. She'd expected him to backpedal with a joke or get defensive.  With no way to bottle it up, emotion rose in her throat and threatened to overwhelm her again.  Pressing her lips together, she began to blink rapidly in order to stave off the tears that she could feel pooling behind her eyes.  

When she'd taken the job with Russell, many people had told her they were proud of her.  Her parents, friends and family from back home and in DC, CJ over the phone, even.  Many of them had been shocked that she’d left Josh, but then quickly reassured her about what a great opportunity the campaign would be and spoke of being proud of her for striking out on her own.  And while she was grateful for their support, the sentiment from each and every one of them rolled together didn't mean as much as it did coming from him.  

"Okay, you're about to cry again.  I'm no expert, but I've heard it’s a bad sign when a woman cries after sex…" 

"You're proud of me?"  One single tear escaped the corner of her eye.

The vulnerable expression on her face was a direct hit and his gut twisted inside out.  "Donna… Donna… Donnatella," he sighed as he gently wiped the tear from her cheek.  "I've always been proud of you. Always.  Please tell me that you know what an amazing woman I think you are."

She was too choked up to speak.  He leaned down and kissed the fresh tears off her cheeks.  "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry you didn't know how incredible I thought you were.  But know it now.  Everything about you… your intellect and strength, your compassion and bravery... it just… you amaze me." 

Wiping her eyes fiercely on the sheet, she tried to stem the tears.  When that was moderately successful, she sniffed once and met his gaze.  "I've always been proud of you, too."

"You have?"  Josh was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, I have.  You're such a good man.  With such a good heart… and with such an amazing capacity to do good.  I admire you so much.  *You* never cease to amaze me.  Including what you're doing now…"

His heart soared at her words and something akin to relief washed over him. For years one of the things that had driven him, was her.  The way she would look at him when he'd done something right, something good, always propelled him to do more, do better.  And when she'd left, he'd hated feeling like he'd disappointed her; hated knowing that he'd fallen irreparably in her esteem.   And he'd feared that he'd never see her look at him that way again.  But the look was back and she was wearing right now.

That look and her words were like a balm to his soul. But that still didn't stop him from jumping at the opportunity. "I meant it in New Hampshire, when I said you should be with me… I mean with us… with Santos."

"Joooooosh." She shook her head, but couldn't fully suppress a smile.

"What?"  He looked at her innocently.

"No. I took a job working for Russell.  So for Russell, I will work."

"Okay… but sooner or later…"

A gurgle of laughter escaped her throat, but she didn't bite at his overture.  "So what are we going to do?" 

 

"About what?  About me being proud of you?  I'm just going to go on being proud of you.  After all, I taught you everything you-"

She interrupted him by pressing her lips to his for several seconds.  "Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?"   He shook his head quickly.  "I meant about this.  About us… where do we go from here?'

"We go forward?"

"Okay… that's a start. But I meant with the campaigns… and being on opposing sides… when will we see each other?"

He looked at her sadly. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

She shook her head in agreement. "No, but it's never been easy.  But now that we know… we'll be okay.  I think we've both demonstrated remarkable patience tonight… don’t you think."

"Yes…" He grinned and kissed her softly. "We have.  And frankly, Donnatella, I don't give a damn what anyone thinks… but if you think we should try to keep this off of the Russell campaign radar, then I understand." 

"I don't want to lie…"  She replied softly.

"Me neither, I sort of want to take out an ad in the Washington Post."  He grinned down at her and once again she felt butterflies tickle her stomach. 

Still feeling melty, she grinned back at him widely.  "Well, I don't think that's the direction we should go, either… how about we keep a low profile and whoever finds out… finds out.  No hiding… or flaunting?"  She looked at him with uncertainty.

"I can live with that," he promised, tugging her tightly to him.  

"I'm sleeping in tomorrow; the wake-up call is set for 6:00… is that good for you?"

"Yeah…" he agreed tiredly, but contently.  "That's good for me."

She snuggled into his shoulder sleepily.  "What would you have said this morning if you knew we were going to end up here tonight?"

"I'd have said that I'm about to have the best day of my life." 

"Me, too." She kissed his shoulder before opening an eye and taking stock of the room.  She nudged him in the ribs and nodded towards the corner of the room. "Hey, Mr. Moss…"

"Yeah?" She could feel his chest vibrate with amusement.

"Go turn off the lamp on the dresser so we can get some sleep."

Josh opened one eye and peered down at her. "I've only been your Mr. Moss for one night and you're giving orders already?"

"Yup."

"Okay." He shrugged out of bed, having a feeling that he would be following orders like this for the rest of his life.  Somehow, he also knew he was going to love every minute of it.

The End


	4. Being Mr. Moss 3 - ADULT

 

**Being Mr. Moss**

**by:** Liza C.

**Character(s):** Josh, Donna  
**Pairing(s):** Josh/Donna  
**Category(s):** Romance  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Disclaimer:** This is just some not-for-profit fun done out of love and respect for the characters.  
**Summary:** A Sequel to "A Chivalrous Outlaw". Josh and Donna have even MORE fun on the campaign trail.   
**Spoiler:** King Corn  
**Author's Note:** Beta'ed By Kim 

* * *

Was it possible to float?  For one’s feet to leave the ground, courtesy of a perfect, mind-blowing first kiss with the man you loved?  Donna was beginning to think so.  Mostly because her mind was in a fog… a really good fog, but a fog nonetheless, and she couldn't feel her legs.  Thus the floating.  Or maybe it was soaring.  Because floating conjured up the image of inactivity, and Donna was nothing if not an active participant in the mind-blowing kissing.  Her hands roamed up and down his back, touching every inch of him that she could reach, their tongues sparring in a glorious rhythm as their passion built.

When the kiss was finally broken—after lasting through a good number of unremarkable songs, including at least one commercial break-- they stood panting, foreheads pressed together.  Josh's forearms rested on her shoulders as her hands hung from his biceps.

"We have to turn the radio off," Donna finally declared, still breathless. 

"Why?"

"Because we are not going to make love while Michael Bolton serenades us.  I may enjoy a sappy love song, but the line really must be drawn somewhere."

Josh didn't even hear the last part.  He lifted his head from hers so that he could make eye contact.  "We're going to make love?"

"Aren't we?"  She bit her lip, suddenly shy.

"Oh, hell yeah."  He grinned and started walking her backwards towards the bed, until he furrowed his brow and stopped.  "I just didn't want you to think that we had to… because we're both almost naked.  I wasn't wearing a towel in order to try and coerce you…"

She stopped him with a kiss. Once she felt she'd made her point, she pulled her lips from him and reassured, "I know."

"Really?"

"Yes…"  She giggled as she ran her hands down his back until she was fingering the top of his towel in a playful, yet wicked way.   

"What about… I wasn't planning, I don’t have any…"

Donna nodded. "I'm good, you?"

He nodded very quickly. "Me, too."  

"Then there's nothing to stop us."  Wearing a huge grin, she unhurriedly found the tucked end of his towel.  "You know it's kind of amazing these towels haven't fallen off of their own accord already, accidentally exposing us."

"Well…" 

"Well what?"

"Well, when we were dancing and I twirled you, your towel sort of spun and… I might have gotten a very short, very blurry glimpse of..."  His eyebrows quirked up in place of finishing the sentence.

Stunned, her mouth fell open.  But just as quickly, it twisted into an evil grin and her only response was one swift flick of her wrist.  The white terrycloth rectangle flipped off his waist and foregoing what she usually would have done-- which would be to fold the towel neatly and set it on a chair-- she tossed it on the floor with a flourish.  Inhaling sharply, she took in all of him and felt something pulse deep inside her.  He was visibly more than ready for her, and the image unleashed new, more urgent, waves of desire between her thighs.

Josh watched her watching him.  He was about to chuckle at her ardent study of his newly naked form, until he saw her lick her lips.  The simple flick of her tongue drove the humor right out of his mind and almost undid him.

"Your turn," Josh rasped as he reached over to the overlap in her towel, just to the side of her left breast.  Fingering it, he watched her eyes for permission.  They were dark and full of desire, but there was also something else present.

Fear.  Part of her was terrified of him seeing her completely naked.  Not that she was prude or overly modest.  It was certainly true that she'd probably never be the most adventurous person on the planet, but it wasn't that.  It's that no one, other than healthcare professionals, had seen her since Gaza.  She wasn't ashamed of the marks on her body, but their presence also didn't fill her with self-confidence when it came to standing in front of a lover.

She swallowed, met his eye and nodded her assent.  Complying, he tenderly pulled the towel free.  For him it was like the drape being pulled off a master work of art.  His eyes greedily took their fill.  The room was dim, lit by only the one lamp in the corner of the room, but even in the diminished light she glowed; he could see every curve and every swell of her naked form.  His breathing arrested completely as he took her all in.  His eyes roamed over her naked breasts.  Soft mounds topped with tantalizing pink nipples.  When his eyes met the V between her thighs it was almost too much for him.  Fine, sparse dark blonde curls covered her mound and he gasped. "Oh God, Donna."

"Yes?"  She was relieved that her voice didn't betray any of her trepidation over his reaction.

"You…" Something was still working in some part of his brain, because it ordered him to look up at her eyes.  Apparently, it knew he shouldn't address the spot between her thighs when speaking to her.  "You are so beautiful."  She smiled with relief as his demeanor changed from complete awe to something more playful.  With a naughty twinkle in his eye, he added, "Seriously, you're really hot."

She swallowed a lump and simply said, "I'm scarred."

"Me, too."  The naughty twinkle disappeared as he sought to reassure her. "They only make you more beautiful to me. They remind me of how lucky we are."  He reached over and trailed a finger down the light scar on her chest.  "Besides, we're a matched set."

With that, she was on him.  She wasn't sure how she traveled the short distance between them, all she knew was that now they had their arms wrapped around one another, their mouths colliding hungrily. There was nothing soft or tentative about this kiss.   And this time there was also nothing between them, no barriers.  Her breasts, warm and tight, pressed flush against his naked flesh.  She gasped as the soft hair of his chest tickled her delicate peaks.

He moaned as he pushed into her, feeling her wetness for the first time.  Wanting more of her, needing more of her, he reaching down and cupped an ass cheek in each hand, lifting her higher and rubbing her cleft more solidly against him, their lips never losing contact.  She made little purring sounds deep in her throat with the newfound friction against her hungry center.   With very little effort he lifted her all the way off the ground and she wrapped her legs around him; he wasn't as young as he used to be, but she was whisper light. Slowly, he began to make his way towards the bed with her wrapped tightly around him, her arms twined around his neck and her thighs squeezing her securely to his torso.

With his mouth fused to hers, he couldn't see where they were going, and with her wet opening slick against his cock, his mind wasn't working at a full enough capacity for him to care.  This created a situation in which his shin hit the side of the bed a full step before he thought it would.  That caused him to clumsily stumble forward over the bed.  Flailing and unable to keep his balance, he had no choice but to let go of her. 

Surprised by the sudden upset, she loosened the grip of both her arms and her thighs, and without ceremony, went tumbling onto the bed.

Slightly disheveled and momentarily discombobulated, it took her a second to figure out why she was sprawled on the bed, alone.  With put-on indignation, she pushed her hair out of her face and glared up at him.  "You dropped me!"  

After taking several seconds for a quick visual survey to make sure she was okay, he shook his head knowingly.  "No, I didn't.  I deposited you.  I meant to do that. We're at the bed.  The place where the lovemaking will commence. Trust me, this is where you want to be."

She shook her head but couldn't keep a straight face.  "I don't believe it for a second.  You weren't watching where you were going. You very obviously tripped on the bed and dropped me."

"I only dropped you two feet and onto a bed… are you okay?"

She nodded with a giggle and stood hastily.

"What are you doing now?  We're at the bed.  That was our destination.  Why are you getting up? There's no need to get up."  His voice was perilously close to a whine.

"Hotel bedspread.  Ick," she explained as she stripped the bedspread off and placed it on the floor in the corner.  

"I see.  Good thinking."  But once she had the bedspread in a neat pile, he strode towards her and swept her back into his arms.  This time he cradled her, using one arm to support her back and the other to support her legs.  The second he swung her into his arms she yelped and then started giggling uncontrollably. Her arms instantly circled his neck and she delighted in the feel of her skin being cradled against his exposed chest.  It seemed overwhelmingly intimate, but considering what was about to happen, she realized it was just the tip of the iceberg. 

Once Donna was secure in his arms, he made his way purposefully back to the bed.  This time, since his vision wasn't obscured by their making out, he was able to see exactly where they were going and exactly when their destination was reached.  He was about to deposit her back on the bed when she cried out, "Wait!"

All he could do was grunt in response, but he didn't let her go.

"The blanket, we don't want the blanket either."

"So we're going to sleep in a bed with just a sheet?"

"Planning on doing a lot of sleeping there, big guy?"  She asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Well, I don't… I, uh… eventually won't we get cold?"

"I'm thinking no." She shrugged and kissed his temple.

"Okay.”  He set her down and she quickly stripped the ugly tan blanket off the bed as well.  When she was finished, all that was left on the bed were the crisp white sheets and pillows.  

"We good now?" 

"Yup, I think so."

She stood in front of him expectantly.

"What?"  He questioned.

"Aren't you gonna… you know."  She motioned with her head towards the bed.

His lips curled upwards. "Nope, I'm going to wear myself out for the good stuff if I keep that up.  You're going to have to get from there to the bed all on your own."

She crossed her arms over her chest-- covering her breasts, incidentally-- and pouted. "I don't know, Josh.  It's a whole five feet from here to the bed.  I might not make it if left to my own devices.”  

It only took a second for him to relent and cross to her.  A moment later she was back in his arms… this time when they got to the bed, he found her mouth and kissed her tenderly.  Donna sighed into him and had just opened her mouth in order to invite his tongue in for a cozy tete-e-tete, when he bent over slightly and this time, purposely dropped her on the bed.

Flummoxed, she sat bouncing on the mattress for several seconds, before once again pushing wild strands of hair away from her face, and indignantly charging, "Hey, you dropped me again."  

"I did?"

"Yes, on purpose this time."  Her accusation didn't have much bite, since her voice was full of mirth.

"Oh… sorry about that… let me make it up to you." Setting one knee on the bed, he started crawling towards her in a predatory fashion.  With her nerves in an excited rush and heart beating wildly, she began scooting her way towards the head of the bed, away from him.  

"What are you going to do?"  She asked playfully and not a little breathlessly.

"Hmm… what to do."  He stopped beside where she had scooted all the way back up against the headboard.  "First of all… this sitting thing is not working for me."  She squealed when he firmly put his hands on her hips and pulled her swiftly down so she was lying on her back.  

"That's a start," she managed to reply after her squealing died down. It was hard for her to even come up with those words, because he'd quickly settled himself next to her and buried his face in her neck.  Donna instantly felt tingly all over and lolled her head to the other side to give him better access. He spent quite some time licking and sucking the soft flesh there.  

Eventually his free hand, which had been settled on her stomach, began to make its way upwards.  The feel of her silky skin under his palm sent shivers of anticipation through his body, and yet he couldn't get enough of just touching her.  It was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that he was finally permitted to touch her.  He, Joshua Lyman, was allowed to touch Donnatella Moss.  He smiled against her skin, just at the thought.

Leaving her neck, he kissed his way across her collar bone.  Her hands left his arm where she'd been clutching him and came to caress the back of his neck.  Nibbling his way down her chest he licked a wide path between her breasts.  Flicking his tongue against her soft skin, he placed butterfly kisses all the way around each breast in turn.

Donna gripped his back tighter and sighed at the feel of his warm tongue on her skin.  She shifted slightly, trying to encourage him towards the tip of the breast he was currently kissing.  Catching her meaning, but unwilling to hurry, he enticingly ran both of his hands up her sides, from her waist to the juncture under her arm and back again, but didn't comply with her desire.

He spent long minutes bathing each breast with attention, but never gave her what she wanted.  She shifted several times and he felt light pressure from her hands trying to guide him where she was most yearning for his touch, but he studiously avoided her nipples.  When he heard her huff anxiously and felt her wiggle restlessly beneath him, he chuckled and knew it was time.

"How do you like it?"  The amusement was apparent in his voice, even though it was muffled as he continued to nuzzle the side of her breast.

"How do I like what?"  She asked breathlessly.

"Having to exercise patience."

She thought for a second as he continued kissing her everywhere but the point at which she most craved his mouth. "This is payback?"

"Yup."  He made a little swirling motion with his tongue against the skin of one breast, just barely grazing the edge of her nipple.

"You're mean."  Her voice was little better than a grunt.

"I'm just taking my time.  Making sure it's perfect.  Look how well it worked out earlier when you made me wait when all I wanted to do was kiss you," he muttered with a smile as he repeated the swirling tongue action on her other breast. "Besides, your breasts are quite stunning…"  He nibbled underneath one with his teeth. "…do you have any idea how many times I've fantasized about what they look like?  But the reality is so much better…"  

That caught her attention; intrigued, she popped her head up so that she could really see him. "You fantasized about what my breasts looked like?"

"Yup."  She saw his head bob as he continued to work on every part of her breasts but the nipples that ached for his touch.  He kissed his way almost to the peak of one, "Not just what they looked like…" But he turned and kissed back down it before reaching the apogee. "…but how they felt and tasted and…"  

She brought one hand from his shoulder to his chin and tugged, so he was forced to stop and look at her.  She bugged her eyes out at him in exasperation. "Well then?"  

"What?"

"Taste them! All of them."

"Taste all of what?  Can you be more specific?"

"You know!"  She demanded, diverting her eyes to her own nipples.

"Say it," he commanded playfully, his chin resting between her breasts as he looked at her.

"Jooooosh…" She sighed his name in defeat and allowed her head to flop back to the pillow.  Josh found it absolutely adorable and also almost painfully sexy.  

"You're going to have to work on your dirty talk," he admonished, but before she could retort, he'd immediately lowered his mouth back to her breast, but this time he closed his lips around one tightly pebbled nipple and she was rendered speechless.

Groaning with satisfaction, she arched her back and pressed her breast even further towards him.  This time Josh took the hint.  He swirled his tongue around the nipple, before taking it full in his mouth and sucking.  Pleasure shot from Donna's breast directly to her sex.  She wasn't about to admit it to Josh, but it had been well worth the wait.  She couldn't remember anyone paying such careful attention to her breasts before and the torture had been exquisite. 

After spending long minutes on one aroused peak, he fastened his lips to the other.  Donna squeezed her eyes tight and let herself just enjoy the feel and texture of his wet tongue on her nipples.  He developed a pattern of circling his tongue around the erect tip and then sucking the sensitive bud in and out of his mouth rhythmically. 

When she felt him leave her now delightfully over-stimulated nipples, she looked up and saw, as well as felt, him kissing his way down her stomach.  When he reached her bellybutton he dipped his tongue into it playfully and the action made her giggle.  Looking up, he caught her eye and smiled. 

"You're ticklish."  It was a statement, not a question.

"I'm not."

"Do you really want to start this relationship out with a lie, Donnatella?" He asked as he did it again and elicited another involuntary giggle.

"I'm not lying, Joshua." She'd propped herself up on her elbows in order to look down at him, clearly lying.

"Oh, so if I do this…"  He started lightly dancing his fingers along her abdomen. "It will have no effect on you?"

"None," she grunted and willed herself not to squirm under his touch.

"What if I do this?" She saw him inch lower over her and anticipation simmered in her belly.  He was going to taste her essence.  She closed her eyes and waited for the pleasure of his lips tickling her most intimate place… but that's not what he did.  No, instead he blew a raspberry right on the lower swell of her belly.

Her body's reaction to that… she couldn't control.  With a squirm and a squeal, she practically jumped off the bed.  At her reaction, he leaned up, looking quite pleased with himself.  His weight was no longer trapping her lower body, and opportunity didn't have to present itself to Donna twice.  With a wicked grin, she turned the tables on him.  

Moving swiftly, she rolled out from under him and had him pushed back onto the bed before he knew what hit him.

"What are you doing?  I wasn't done… there were things I was going to do…"

"Too bad, you're the one who got distracted so now it's my turn," she ordered, already letting her hands roam across his abs and up his muscular upper arms.

She rolled all the way on top of him and their mouths fused together in deep, wet, probing kisses.  Somewhere in the back of Donna's mind, she wondered how many times she'd have to kiss Josh before it would stop causing her heart to twitter.  Then she decided that since he'd been causing her heart to twitter for years, just by looking at her, the sensation while kissing probably wasn't going to fade anytime soon.  

Eventually, the need for oxygen forced her to break the kiss.  Both of them panting, she pushed herself up so she was propped up on her elbows.  She feathered her fingers into his hair and played with the short, soft locks as he caressed her lower back.  "I can't believe you blew a raspberry on my stomach.  Who are you, my Uncle Len?"

The lust in his eyes dissolved into an amused twinkle and his lips drew upwards. "I certainly hope not, or we are in some serious trouble here… and by the way, that leaves me with some real questions about what happens on the farm in Wisconsin…"

"On the "farm"…"  She actually used air quotes when she said the word 'farm' but he couldn't see her hands as they were still twined in his hair.  "…you blow on the stomach of babies in order to get them to laugh. Not adults…"  She whispered before melding her lips to his ear, eliciting a hiss from him.  She sucked on his earlobe, then slowly made her way down the slight stubble of his jaw, and finally into the crook of his neck where she mumbled, "Apparently, the rules are different in Connecticut…"  Using her tongue and lips in tandem, she trailed a feather light path down across his chest.  

As Josh relaxed under her touch, he finally managed to retort in a teasing, yet breathless, tone, "There are going to be rules? I should have known…"  But before he could say anymore, her tongue found his nipples and his verbal ability was reduced to a grunt. 

If Josh could form words he would have noted his surprise at how sensitive they were.  But as it were, he just rolled his head back and enjoyed the sensations. After licking and laving them, she continued her journey down his stomach.  As she laid hot, open-mouthed kisses to his belly, she felt his stomach contract as he sucked in a breath.   Not being able to resist temptation, she put her lips to a soft spot right under his belly button… and blew as hard as she could. 

She heard a murmur from the head of the bed. "Very funny, Aunt Donnatella."  

Chuckling, she continued her expedition downward.  When she reached his erection, she very purposefully ignored it.  And instead did something she'd been waiting hours to do.  With a leisurely pace, she ran her tongue along the indentation above his hip.  Josh moaned her name, but she kept her own pace, guiding her tongue slowly down and into the joint where his thigh met his body. She felt him shudder under her touch but she kept going, inching ever lower until she was tonguing one of his balls. Her hands on his thighs, she felt his muscles work under her grip, tensing and releasing with excited quivers depending on where her lips and tongue were… and what they were doing.  Now they were rock hard, every muscle contracted as she gently sucked the sensitive, soft skin between his legs. 

His fingers were tangled in her messy golden locks, but he wasn't pushing her or even trying to guide her. Exercising a control he would have been proud of-- had he been able to focus on the accomplishment-- he instead massaged her scalp gently and ran his fingers through the silky stands as she tended to his most responsive and intimate places.  

Through it all, he kept his eyes squeezed shut.  Because there was no way he could look down and see that it was Donna going down on him, without losing it immediately.  When he felt her start to kiss a wet trail up his cock, his eyes rolled back in his head under his eyelids.  When she reached the head, she swirled her tongue around it one time.  When he cried her name, she obliged by taking the whole head in her mouth and suckling gently on the tip.

Stars invaded Josh's vision.  The delicate pressure she was creating with her hot mouth was not enough to elicit the ultimate pleasure, but her teasing lips and tongue were working together to coil him tight.

After several minutes of her very light ministrations-- she wasn't stupid, after all, she knew the difference between foreplay and the main event and she definitely wanted him to save it for the main event—she felt him tugging gently at her hair.  

When she looked up she found two brown, lust-filled eyes boring through her.  "Come up here," he whispered hoarsely.  That was all the invitation she needed and she immediately began to crawl back up him.  Once she was propped over him, she lowered herself to him and reveled in the feel of his firm muscular body pressed to her own naked, pliant flesh.  When their lips met it was heated and hungry, tongues poking and exploring and dueling passionately.  He brought his hands up to her back and tried to touch every inch of skin within his reach, loving the feel of her weight on top of him.

He felt her rub her very wet and willing mound against him as she began to position herself.   Suddenly, he was terrified he wasn't going to last long enough for her.  So he tore his lips from hers and blurted, "Not yet." 

"What?"  She asked, out of breath from all the necking.

He didn't answer, instead urging her up onto all fours, but she fumbled inelegantly, not really understanding what he wanted her to do.  

"I wasn't finished with you."  He was settled on his back, his head propped up by a pillow.  Propelling her forward with his knee pressed firmly to her bottom, he pulled her to her knees.  Putting a hand on either side of her ass, he drew her up and over him.  Her eyes went wide when she finally realized what he was going to do. She also felt herself get immediately wetter… if that was even possible.  "You got all take-charge on me earlier before I could do want I wanted to do."

"You like it when I'm take-charge…"  Her voice was so low and so rough it was as if it had been rubbed raw with sandpaper.  "…even though you pretend like you don't."

He smiled at the simple truth of the statement.  "Maybe… and admittedly I enjoyed the take-charge at the time.  But now it's time for a make good."

A shiver of anticipation shot through her entire body and she felt her thighs quake slightly as she cooperated and spread them wide around him, positioning her opening right over his mouth.  Reaching up, he found her hands and squeezed them reassuringly before guiding them to the top of the headboard in front of her.   He let go and she gripped the headboard securely to steady herself.   Another sudden jolt of expectation hit her as his hands came back to her ass, caressing each cheek, holding her in place.  He started slowly by pressing just one single, solitary kiss to her outer lips and he felt the muscles in her thighs tighten instantaneously.    

He laughed slightly as he felt her nudge closer to his mouth, obviously wanting more. "See… even now you can't stop the take-charge," he teased.  

Before she could respond he fairly growled, "I like it," and obliged her by driving his tongue into her as far as it would go.  The unexpected sensation caused her to lurch.  Arching her back, Donna shot off of him, losing contact with his tongue.  She whimpered loudly as she came back and settled down eagerly where his tongue could find her. He plunged his tongue into her again, but this time he'd anchored her down with a firm hand at either side of her waist so she couldn't squirm out of his reach.  As his lips touched her softness all coherent thought vanished, and her brain was swimming, even forgetting to tell her body to do the most basic things like breathe, as he tasted her for the first time.

This time, since she had no choice but to stay put, she gripped the headboard and let her head fall back, concentrating on the bliss he was creating at her center.  He set his lips to her hot and swollen flesh, intimately caressing each velvety fold, loving the taste of her.  The sighs and whimpers he heard when he touched certain places sent twitches to his cock, but he ignored his need, concentrating wholly on her pleasure.  Relentless, he started to lick her. Trying to taste and explore every inch of her sex, while allowing her no reprieve from the pleasure.  When she finally felt him twirl his tongue around her clit once, she heard a strangled cry escape from her own lips.

Donna felt the pressure immediately build at her core.  She'd been very near ready while he'd been lavishing attention on her breasts and she knew it wouldn't be long before she would burst over him.  Josh was now licking a wide path along the entire length of her opening.  He nudged her thighs even wider and she moaned as his tongue now danced in and out of her entrance, toying with the overly sensitive flesh there.

Anchoring her hands to the headboard, she tried to relax her thighs so she wouldn't hurt him, while at the same time wiggling over him in order to press her mound more firmly onto his mouth, giving him direct access to her source. When he once again set to roughly licking at the swollen nub, she began moaning his name over and over again.  She was teetering on the edge, her body wound into a swirling spring of mounting pleasure, and he could sense it.  Clutching her ass with both hands, holding her steady to his mouth, he closed his lips over her sensitive bud and sucked ruthlessly.

The spasms ripped through Donna in explosive waves.  Rippling aftershocks radiated from her abdomen and traveled down into her thighs; all her muscles contracted in unison and her mind exploded in a thousand shards of pleasure as she found her release.

When she finally came down, she took several deep breaths before releasing her death grip on the headboard and sliding down his body.  Once safely away from his head, she flopped down on top of him exhaustedly. Josh held her securely to him as she recovered, murmuring the Lyman equivalent of sweet nothings in her ear.  Which pretty much amounted to whispering her name and kissing her hair, but in the back of her foggy mind, she knew she liked it… a lot.

Once her breathing returned to normal and she was once again able to feel her limbs, and other such consequential part of her body, she also recovered her power of speech. "Wow." 

"Yeah?"  There was more than a little smug in his one-word response.

"Oh yeah," she whispered groggily as she rained small kisses onto his shoulder, since it was the only part of his body she could reach without moving.  "You know, it's funny, I was worried that since we know each other so well, that there would be nothing new to discover. But I realized I was wrong, there are plenty of things for us to learn about one another."

"Really?  Like what?"  He asked, intrigued as he ran his hands up her back.

"Well, for instance…"  Shifting to the side, she looked up at him and started lazily tracing circles on his chest with her fingertips; the circles unmistakably getting wider and bigger and lower with each successive one.  "For one, I just learned that you have an amazing hidden talent and that from here on out, I'm pretty sure all you're going to have to do to make me come, is stick your tongue out at me."  

Her hand now circled low enough to hit his erection and she lazily started playing with it. "…and I'm about to learn how you want me to ride you."  

His eyes went wide to the point of almost falling out of his head and his cock jerked even more alert, something he hadn't thought was possible.

She kissed him hungrily before she pulled herself back up to her knees. Straddling him, she maneuvered so her sex was directly over his straining member.  Purposefully, she made eye contact with him, making sure he was watching her, as if his eyes would be anywhere else.  She rubbed her already over-stimulated, but incredibly wet, opening against his rock hard shaft several times and he groaned.  Finally she positioned the tip of him at her wetness and held it gently as she gradually sunk down onto him, enjoying the feel of him invading her intimately.

When he was fully embedded in her, she purred loudly, but didn't start. In an effort to get her moving, he bucked up into her once.  Not only did he succeed in making her squeal, but he got the added bonus of seeing her breasts jiggle enticingly over him. However, she still didn't move.  Instead she sat, enjoying the feel of their bodies joined together for the first time. Loving the way he filled her completely.   She rocked slightly, trying to take even more of him in and he grunted unintelligibly.   Squeezing her eyes shut and arching her back, she threw her head back and concentrated only on the feeling of him inside her, buried completely in her softness. 

Enthralled, Josh watched her, couldn't take his eyes off of her.   He'd never been privy to such an erotic sight in his life. It took every ounce of control he could muster not to come into her right then and there.  Then she snapped her neck forward, opened her eyes and clamped her inner muscles around him tightly.  He whimpered and bucked again.

Laughing huskily, she licked her lips and looked down at him. "So the question becomes, Joshua, how do you like it?"

He mumbled something incoherent as she began to move over him.  "Do you like it like this?  So that you can watch me, knowing that you're inside of me?"  Drawing up and then sinking back down on him with elongated strokes.  Her breasts high and proud, she rode him, plunging up and down on his erection.  Amazingly, she was able to take more of him with each subsequent stroke.

Finding their unique rhythm was easy.  It was a product of their entire past relationship.  They already knew one another's cadence by heart.   However, as soon as they hit their stride and he was squeezing up into her just as she was coming down to meet him, she abruptly changed her position on top of him.  

Leaning further over him, she panted, "Or how about here?"  Her face contorted with pleasure at the change in angle.  She rested a hand on either side of his head, her arms straight and her eyes locked with his.  

"…where I'm close enough to taste?"  She proposed provocatively and he took it as a suggestion.  Coming off the bed slightly, he captured a nipple in his mouth and she sighed appreciatively and continued her movements.  They undulated together in a way that sent a new surge of pleasure crashing through them both.

After several minutes, she pulled her nipple from his mouth and pushed him all the way back, flat on to the bed.  "Or is this more to your liking?" Leaning all the way down over him, she began to move in short, solid thrusts.  He caught her mouth and their tongues tangled passionately as they moved together.  His hands planted firmly on her sides, helping her move on him.  Donna moaned into his mouth as she felt the friction of his pelvis on her swollen clit.

Breaking the kiss, she kept pace with him and leaned only far enough away to see his face.  With barely controlled breathing, she asked, "So what will it be, Josh?"

Meeting her eye as he continued to help her grind into him, he rasped, "I like the one where I can kiss you." 

He ran his hands up her bare back and tried to bring her down for another kiss, but she stopped mid-pump and looked into his eyes.  "Joooosh…"

"What?  Why did you stop?  What did I do?"  He asked breathlessly with the demeanor of someone who is used to being admonished.

"You're being sweet when I'm trying to talk dirty.  I'm not good at talking dirty!  It's not in my nature.  And I can't do it when you're being sweet. Do you know what it took for me to say those things!?"

"That was you being dirty?"  He asked in a suddenly surprised and teasing tone.

"You didn't like it?"  The look that crossed Donna's face was horror crossed with humiliation. 

Immediately, he wrapped his arms full around her back, crushing her to his chest in a hug. Heedless of his own need, he brought his hands up to her face and kissed her mouth, then her cheeks, her chin, her nose, her forehead and even her eyelids before he finally came back to her lips.  When he was done kissing her, he gazed deep into her eyes.

"I'm really glad I already said I love you-- since it would have come out all sorts of wrong to say it for the first time while we were having sex… and there would be just no way that I could stop myself from saying 'I love you' at this very moment."  

Now it was Donna's turn to hug him as she threw herself down on him.   "So you like the dirty?"  She whispered in his ear.

"I liked the dirty.  I loved it.  It was totally working for you."

"So I'm good at the dirty?"  She asked, pleased with herself. 

"Yes. I take back what I said earlier; you don't need to work on your dirty talk."  

"Porn star good?"  She asked eagerly, releasing his neck.

"You're not that dirty, Donnatella," he teased.

"Was it not dirty enough?"  An unsure lilt colored her voice.

"No… yes, I mean it was fine. It was great. It was hot.  But for now…"  With his cock still firmly planted in her, he rolled them over so she was on her back and he was on top.  "I want to fuck you."

"Josh!"  She shrieked, even as he started thrusting in and out of her and she matched his new rhythm.  They instantly moved together in flawless unity.

"What?" His voice feigned innocence as he reached back and brought one of her legs up and around his back.  They both moaned at the new angle and deeper penetration. 

"That's not a nice thing to say," Donna squeaked as she felt the slick length of him gliding in and out of her deliciously.  

"You're the one who started with the dirty."  He was certain he had never felt anything as incredible as pumping into her and being able to look down in her eyes, knowing that she was the one caressing him in such an intimate manner.

"I know," she replied as she groaned with pleasure.  "But that's not dirty, that's crude."

"Okay," Josh grunted, but couldn't stop grinning. "How bout if I say that I want to make love to you, just hard and now."

"That's okay."

"Just okay?"

"Well, it wasn't as good as my dirty talk.  But I'm sure you'll get better."

Despite where he was and what he was doing he emitted a low chuckle.  Leaning down, he once again captured her mouth, ceasing all talk, dirty and otherwise.   They fell silent and the hum of their bodies sliding and coming together was the only sound in the room.  

She began to writhe under him and he knew she must be close. Without words, he pulled his mouth from hers and met her eye.  She immediately knew what he was asking and gasped, "Touch me."

Once he'd snaked his hand down between them, it only took several seconds of caressing her clit to propel her towards climax.  Once again, she came in an explosion.

His eyes were glued to her face as it began to twist in ecstasy.  He desperately wanted to watch her come, but as soon as she started to spasm around his cock he was done for.  Her muscles gripped him tight and he had no choice but to let himself go into her, climaxing in a shuttering orgasm that gripped his center and spread through his entire body from there, her full name on his lips.

Once spent, he collapsed on top of her, exhausted and complete.  It took several minutes for both of them to come back to earth, but Josh had enough presence of mind to roll his weight off of her.  But not wanting to lose contact, he immediately pulled her back to him so that they were on their sides, facing one another. 

Several minutes later, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and sighed, "That was… you were…"

Donna opened one sleepy eye to look over him.  "Yesssss?"

"Amazing."

She chuckled into his chest.

"And fun."

"Fun?"  Now she opened both eyes in question.

"Yeah, fun… you promised me fun tonight and you certainly delivered," he said, still trying to catch his breath. "For instance, that is for sure the most fun I've had all year."

"All year?"  She tried to smirk, but she was too content to make the expression, so she just smiled.

"All last year, too… and probably the year before that.  Let's just say decade."

Giggling and somewhat recovered, Donna sat up in order to grab the abandoned top sheet from the end of the bed.  Pulling it up and over them, she snuggled against him once again.  "You know, when I invited you for fun earlier; this wasn't what I had in mind."

"No?"  Josh acted taken aback.  "Because I was certain we were going to have mind-bending sex when you invited me to your hotel room earlier."

"Really…"  She smiled brightly. "Because all I had in mind was to push you in the pool in your underwear.  I thought that would be funny."

"I knew it was a plot.  Push me in the pool in my underwear and then I can't go back to my own hotel, so my only option is to break into your room and get naked."

"Yup, my evil plan worked."  

"I'm glad it worked." 

"Me, too.  And I had fun, too."

"Yeah?  What was most fun for you?"

"The dancing… definitely the dancing."  She sighed.

Josh's eyes registered playful shock. "You liked that better than…" he nodded his head towards the headboard.

"No… after that…"  She mimicked his head motion, "…I had the most fun dancing."

"I'll remember that."  

"You better." She snuggled into his chest.

He was quiet for several seconds before he asked tentatively, "Can we have fun again?"

Started by the question, she immediately pulled back in order to cock a curious eyebrow at him.  "I'm banking on it, Lyman."

"No…"  He backpedaled quickly, caressing her shoulder.  "I more meant *when* can we have fun again.  I'm thinking tomorrow night? Meet about midnight… my room maybe…"

Her face fell immediately.

"What?  What's wrong?" He propped himself up on one elbow so that he could look down at her, his other hand softly caressing the soft skin on her hip.

"Nothing.  It's just that I'm leaving at 8am tomorrow..."  She glanced at the clock. "I mean today.  I'm leaving at 8am today."

"Oh…"  The disappointment rang clear through his voice.  "I thought you were here for a couple of days."

"I did, too.  But that's the change in plans Will wanted to talk to me about.  He's reassigned me.  I'm going with the advance team."

Josh's eyes immediately narrowed. "When did he make the decision to reassign you?  Before or after he saw us together…"

"I don't know… it could just be a coincidence."

"Do you think it's a coincidence?"  Josh asked tensely.  A small shrug was the only reply he got.

"So this… is this because of me?  You're being punished because of me?"  His voice was tight, and she could see anger begin to bubble just under the surface. 

She brought her hand up to caress his cheek soothingly. "I'm not sure, but this is actually good for me.  It's a step up in the campaign.  I'm going to be in charge of the advance team."

"Yeah, but if that little weasel did it just to get you out of town, because I'm in town, I will kick his scrawny-"

"Josh!"  She interrupted him harshly. "It might *not* be because of you.  It might be because I've been doing a good job and Will needed someone he could trust on the advance." Her voice had been sharper than she'd intended, so she took a deep breath and added softly, "I'm just saying it might not be because of you, it might be because of me…"

Properly chastised, Josh nodded his head once before swallowing hard.  She was right; he was jumping to conclusions based on old assumptions.  He needed to rewire the way he thought of her professionally. Looking down at her seriously, he brought his hand up to trace her jaw tenderly.  "I'm proud of you… you know that, right?"

Donna's head whirred as she searched his warm, intense brown eyes. She'd expected him to backpedal with a joke or get defensive.  With no way to bottle it up, emotion rose in her throat and threatened to overwhelm her again.  Pressing her lips together, she began to blink rapidly in order to stave off the tears that she could feel pooling behind her eyes.  

When she'd taken the job with Russell, many people had told her they were proud of her.  Her parents, friends and family from back home and in DC, CJ over the phone, even.  Many of them had been shocked that she’d left Josh, but then quickly reassured her about what a great opportunity the campaign would be and spoke of being proud of her for striking out on her own.  And while she was grateful for their support, the sentiment from each and every one of them rolled together didn't mean as much as it did coming from him.  

"Okay, you're about to cry again.  I'm no expert, but I've heard it’s a bad sign when a woman cries after sex…" 

"You're proud of me?"  One single tear escaped the corner of her eye.

The vulnerable expression on her face was a direct hit and his gut twisted inside out.  "Donna… Donna… Donnatella," he sighed as he gently wiped the tear from her cheek.  "I've always been proud of you. Always.  Please tell me that you know what an amazing woman I think you are."

She was too choked up to speak.  He leaned down and kissed the fresh tears off her cheeks.  "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry you didn't know how incredible I thought you were.  But know it now.  Everything about you… your intellect and strength, your compassion and bravery... it just… you amaze me." 

Wiping her eyes fiercely on the sheet, she tried to stem the tears.  When that was moderately successful, she sniffed once and met his gaze.  "I've always been proud of you, too."

"You have?"  Josh was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, I have.  You're such a good man.  With such a good heart… and with such an amazing capacity to do good.  I admire you so much.  *You* never cease to amaze me.  Including what you're doing now…"

His heart soared at her words and something akin to relief washed over him. For years one of the things that had driven him, was her.  The way she would look at him when he'd done something right, something good, always propelled him to do more, do better.  And when she'd left, he'd hated feeling like he'd disappointed her; hated knowing that he'd fallen irreparably in her esteem.   And he'd feared that he'd never see her look at him that way again.  But the look was back and she was wearing right now.

That look and her words were like a balm to his soul. But that still didn't stop him from jumping at the opportunity. "I meant it in New Hampshire, when I said you should be with me… I mean with us… with Santos."

"Joooooosh." She shook her head, but couldn't fully suppress a smile.

"What?"  He looked at her innocently.

"No. I took a job working for Russell.  So for Russell, I will work."

"Okay… but sooner or later…"

A gurgle of laughter escaped her throat, but she didn't bite at his overture.  "So what are we going to do?" 

 

"About what?  About me being proud of you?  I'm just going to go on being proud of you.  After all, I taught you everything you-"

She interrupted him by pressing her lips to his for several seconds.  "Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?"   He shook his head quickly.  "I meant about this.  About us… where do we go from here?'

"We go forward?"

"Okay… that's a start. But I meant with the campaigns… and being on opposing sides… when will we see each other?"

He looked at her sadly. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

She shook her head in agreement. "No, but it's never been easy.  But now that we know… we'll be okay.  I think we've both demonstrated remarkable patience tonight… don’t you think."

"Yes…" He grinned and kissed her softly. "We have.  And frankly, Donnatella, I don't give a damn what anyone thinks… but if you think we should try to keep this off of the Russell campaign radar, then I understand." 

"I don't want to lie…"  She replied softly.

"Me neither, I sort of want to take out an ad in the Washington Post."  He grinned down at her and once again she felt butterflies tickle her stomach. 

Still feeling melty, she grinned back at him widely.  "Well, I don't think that's the direction we should go, either… how about we keep a low profile and whoever finds out… finds out.  No hiding… or flaunting?"  She looked at him with uncertainty.

"I can live with that," he promised, tugging her tightly to him.  

"I'm sleeping in tomorrow; the wake-up call is set for 6:00… is that good for you?"

"Yeah…" he agreed tiredly, but contently.  "That's good for me."

She snuggled into his shoulder sleepily.  "What would you have said this morning if you knew we were going to end up here tonight?"

"I'd have said that I'm about to have the best day of my life." 

"Me, too." She kissed his shoulder before opening an eye and taking stock of the room.  She nudged him in the ribs and nodded towards the corner of the room. "Hey, Mr. Moss…"

"Yeah?" She could feel his chest vibrate with amusement.

"Go turn off the lamp on the dresser so we can get some sleep."

Josh opened one eye and peered down at her. "I've only been your Mr. Moss for one night and you're giving orders already?"

"Yup."

"Okay." He shrugged out of bed, having a feeling that he would be following orders like this for the rest of his life.  Somehow, he also knew he was going to love every minute of it.

The End


End file.
